


Remember Me

by Inkblot0Blue



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 05:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkblot0Blue/pseuds/Inkblot0Blue
Summary: Perhaps Prussia has died but Gilbert hasn't really left the world. He returns to visit three people that he held close in his heart: he wants them to remember him. After all, no one wants to be forgotten.





	1. Departure

**Author's Note:**

> A really old piece I wrote back in 2014. Feel free to read and review.

**I - Departure**

* * *

Cornflowers scattered the fields. A calm and gentle breeze drifted through the land. Eerie silence enveloped the heavy air. No one was on the streets. Wary eyes peeked through shattered windows. Harsh, bleak darkness settled in. Dull flickering lampposts were like watchmen; silhouetted and curious.

The sound of dragging feet and bated breath caused shadows to appear. Two cloaked figures emerged in the dim light. Hushed mutterings were heard in German. There was a loud thump and the hood of a cloak fell. Soon, more cloaked figures followed.

Voices pierced the quiet town; a mixture of foreign tongues. Candles were held in hands; a haze of orange and yellow radiated in the stark grey of the village. Eyes peeked out from destroyed cottages, watching with the wariness of hounds. The cloaked figures were heading towards the cornflower fields, prayers trailing in the night.

In the misty orange and yellow, a blond man carried the body of his brother. The brother was covered in blue, his silvery white hair shone in the dark.

They approached a lake, covered in cornflowers and roses. A low melody began to drift through the night; soft, slow, gentle.

The man was laid to rest; he was placed inside a small coffin with his name inscribed on it. A woman stepped forward, clad in green underneath her cloak. She took her cross off and placed it beside him.

"Goodbye…Gilbert."

She kissed his forehead before drifting back into the crowd. Ashen faces looked to the ground. Another man made way to the front, his face was pale in the dim moonlight. His glasses caught the light. He knelt down, placing a sword on the other side of his body.

"Well, I'm sad to say that our battles will be no more…Auf Wiedersehen, Preußen."

Finally, the brother stood over the coffin that was floating in the water.

"Goodbye…"

With one last look, he cut off the rope that kept the coffin at bay. The group watched as it drifted down the stream; the first rays of sunlight shone over it.


	2. Reincarnation (Germany)

**II - Reincarnation**

* * *

The wall that separated them was agonizing and painful. There were no haunting screams in the night. Instead there was silence; uncomfortable and awkward. The man on the other side had looked like someone he knew many years before. Perhaps it was his brother; born anew. But there was nothing left of it.

There was no Prussia. He gave it away to Germany. And now, Germany was split; the scars across his back told him so. The land and borders that Prussia had were no more; it was Germany's land.

Every day the same question would haunt Ludwig Weillschmidt: why had he been given the land of his deceased brother, Gilbert…Prussia?

The answer was probably quite simple even if he would not know.

He had even consulted his neighbour, Switzerland, who replied with: "I think he wanted you to handle his stuff seeing as you're a country and he isn't…I guess he wanted his little brother to have something to do…while he's gone."

When Switzerland had told him that, he began to piece things together. It meant that Prussia had not really left him; maybe temporarily but not permanently. Come to think of it, he never once saw the man on the other side of the wall. All he heard were rumours that it was "East Germany". It made sense, for they all called him "West." However, this new figure had not attended any meetings, at least whenever Ludwig was around.

* * *

This wall that divided them had not been opened in any way. Germany tried to call out to the other side; greeted only by the sounds of footsteps; hurried and rushed.

He tried again the next day; only to see his attempts fail.

By the third day, hopefully with luck on his side, he called out to "East Germany". His ears try to pick up sounds; he was greeted with pounding on the wall and a familiar voice.

"Hallo, West!" The greeting is raspy with age.

"Is that you, Prussia?" he replied. His voice was wary.

"Oh please, Ludwig, don't you remember me?"

Ludwig, surprised by the answer, smiled softly to himself. "Of course," He tried to press a question that only Prussia could ever answer. "How's Fritz? Have you seen him?"

There was no reply for a few moments. But then, the person on the other side answered. "Ja, I've seen old Fritz. In fact, he told me to take care of you here."

Germany was taken aback by the answer. "Then, why did you die?"

" _Nein_ , I didn't die…Nations only die when nobody considers themselves part of a country. I have many Prussians lurking in these areas. Guess I'm too awesome to die."

Ludwig chuckled, it was indeed Prussia. He asked one more question; the one that had been eating at him for several years. "Tell me,  _bruder_ , why have you sacrificed your land and money to help me…?"

"Ludwig, it was for the sole reason that I wanted you to live. I didn't want you to die, so I left you with what I had left of me. Something noble…"

Switzerland had turned out to be correct in some way. Prussia wanted his younger brother to live; to serve some purpose in this world. He may have no power, land or nobility, but, he passed it on to Germany. His younger brother was more important than him.

Germany bade him farewell and returned to his small house.

* * *

He lay in bed at night, his mind went through the conversation he had. He could not remember Gilbert's face, but it was his voice that brought an image into his mind; it was the face he saw when he laid the man to rest; silvery grey hair and burgundy eyes shut tight. He had been wearing his blue military uniform with his cross by his side and his sword from the Teutonic days.

Ludwig may not carry Prussia's burden anymore but he had land and money. Land was just land but he could use the money in some way. He could make Germany whole again; a promise he made to Prussia the night he was buried.


	3. Unreality (Austria)

**III - Unreality**

* * *

The soft notes of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" composition drifted through Roderich Edelstein's house. It may not be an Austrian composer but Roderich could appreciate foreign music.

He stood by the French windows in his house, sipping his tea. He half expected to hear the front door slammed shut; it would mean a certain Prussian had come to torment him.

It was strange for Roderich to say, but he missed the cocky albino. It was not the same anymore: they had been through battles and wars together; even seen the rise and fall of empires. Prussia's empire had fallen and was dissolved later; Austria had watched that happen right before his eyes.

Roderich shook his head and set his tea down on the table. It had barely been touched; he had been left to his thoughts.

He sat down on the piano bench, his thoughts transferred to the keys. He played Tchaikovsky in memory of the fallen nation; he remembered days he would play it and Prussia would smirk and call him "Little Master". Nevertheless, Gilbert would watch with intensity and care for music. Sometimes he would applaud him, other times he would laugh. Yet, Austria understood the underlying emotions and gentle appreciation.

Most of time nowadays, Austria was preoccupied. It was not always to do with his country's affairs or meetings, though he found himself reminiscing the times he had lost or won battle against Prussia. Or his shared time with Hungary before the Great War, he would see the jealousy and hurt in Gilbert's eyes. He had no choice when he married her and both the former and latter truly loved her. Once again, when he felt concern for his cousin, it was brushed off.

"If only you knew I missed you, of all people, Preußen," he muttered to himself, glancing down at the piano.

_"Do you, Little Master?"_

He could have sworn he heard a reply. He looked around his living room – nothing. It was probably the voice in his head; distorted to make him sound like Prussia.

The cries did not stop; it made Roderich feel like he had schizophrenia.

* * *

Christmas rolled by, Hungary visited him. She noticed the change in his face; his eyes were red and puffy from insomnia, his hair was disheveled and unkempt. But he could not reply for it would make him seem like a mad fool.

Once Hungary left, he began to clean up. He noticed a couple of presents under the Christmas tree. He raised an eyebrow; he had already received most of his gifts earlier. So why were there two presents sitting under the tree? He wondered if Finland had made a mistake when delivering, though it was not like him.

He crouched down beside the tree and grabbed the gift. When he caught sight of the name, his heart leaped.

" _Frohe Weihnachten, Ӧsterreich,"_

The voice sourced from the doorway, he turned around see who it was. Sure enough, Prussia was right in front of him. He was dressed in simple black slacks and a dark blue shirt. It was the man, in the flesh. It was as though they had never laid him to rest or that he had never placed the sword by his body.

Roderich, who loathed embraces, pulled the man into a hug.  _"Gott!_  I thought it was you!"

Prussia smiled. "Well, Little Master, I'm still here…Missed me?"

Austria pulled away from the hug. He offered Gilbert a beer, who accepted it graciously. The two sat next to each other on the sofa facing the fireplace, Roderich downed his brandy and eyed the man beside him.

Gilbert swirled the contents of his glass. "Y'know,  _Ӧsterreich,_ I've only been given a new name with little land. I doubt it'll last much longer. And then I'd been gone again…I don't know."

"Oh?"

"I'm just East Germany now."

Roderich nodded slowly. He had heard of rumours circling Germany's area. The wall was probably going to go down soon. "Will you stay for the night?"

"Ja," Gilbert replied, finishing off his beer.

"I'll go prepare a room." He said, rising from his seat.

* * *

Roderich shut the door to the guest room. The clock chimed in the hallway. It was one in the morning. He sighed and went back downstairs. He replayed what Gilbert had said in the bedroom just as he left.

_"Don't forget me…Promise me that…"_

All Austria did was simply nod again. He was dumbfounded; words that were already in his mind could not be said. He cursed his stupidity. Of course he would keep to that promise. He let the breath part from his lips, and made way for the piano. Once again, Vivaldi's compositions filled the halls; comforting, soothing, pleasant.


	4. Grief (Hungary)

**IV - Grief**

* * *

Erszébet had witnessed the burial; she had even placed his cross in the makeshift coffin. The Hungarian nation had watched her former husband utter goodbye to the man he had hated for most of his life. She watched her friend cast off the reins and let the body drift away. Everyone had moved on; they all pushed forward. However, she remained in the past.

Fixed in her mind was the sight of his blood. He had stared at her with red eyes; the life was slowly being sucked out of him. The battlefield of dead men surrounded his dying body. His skin was pale like a ghost; his bony fingers had wound themselves around her. Then, slowly, she heard one last raspy breath leave him and she cried. Of everyone in the world, she had shed tears for him; her enemy.

The Hungarian went on with her life, calling errands and visiting friends. Occasionally some national affair or other, but she was left to her devices.

* * *

It was early May, a few months after the burial. The days seemed to drag on forever. Hungary decided early on that perhaps some fresh air would do her good. She rested her feet in the cool grass, uninterrupted except for the gentle twittering of birds. Despite the peace, something had still felt off to her.

She still felt pain. It was a heavy, aching feeling in her heart that never ceased. It had being going on for quite some time. Hungary longed for the old days to return - the days where conflict was at a bare minimum, when Prussia was still around.

But she knew she had to let it go. Even Belarus and Liechtenstein had told her at a world meeting earlier that year. Erszi needed to let him go.

 _It wouldn't be easy_ , she had told herself,  _but it would be worth it_.

She heard footsteps approach and she smiled. Erszi opened her eyes a little to see who. She expected Austria, her good friend and former husband but as she looked up, she screamed.

The man she saw was dead. He was not meant to exist.  _No._  Prussia  _should_  no longer be there. Yet he stood before her, a broad grin on his face.

"You're supposed to be dead!" She yelled.

She heard his laughter; it brought shivers down her spine. It was  _real._

"I'm completely alive, Hungary!" he replied.

She scrambled to her feet and made a grab for his coat. He was real. It was not an impostor; they would not have been to tell the difference between her and a human unless she breathed a word of it.

"Y-you bastard…why did you die?!" she questioned, anger seeped through her barriers.

Prussia smirked and crossed his arms. "Because I had to…I have no country now…I am a  _human._ "

She froze with fear. The man, who had tormented her, who she had fought battles with, and  _hated_ for the majority of her life, was not part of their clan anymore. She never thought she would feel sorry for him, in any way. She shouted out his name and cried to the heavens above; tears streaking down her face. She swore, all while clinging onto his body. He soothed her, brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled sadly.

"I'm afraid it had to be this way." Gilbert whispered softly.

She sniffled and mumbled something into his chest. He listened to her but did not speak. He lifted her chin and pressed his lips against hers. The sensation was odd yet comforting. His lips were soft and gentle; he caressed her cheek and ran a hand through her hair. She deepened the kiss slightly, placing a hand on his chest.

They broke apart and lay down beside each other. They exchanged stories and tales through their times together until nightfall. As Prussia recounted another one of his "awesome" tales, he fell asleep on her chest, snoring lightly. She let him rest and soon her eyes closed; lost to slumber.

Maybe he was not a nation anymore, but he would be her friend. The most important thing was that he was alive.


End file.
